Buzzby

Opponents Of Basic Orthodox Culture Demand Legalization Of Marijuana
Interfax | 09/06/2006

Moscow, September 6, Interfax - Russian Radicals, a social movement that organized on Tuesday a rally against teaching Basic Orthodox Culture in schools, seeks legalization of marijuana.

‘The so-called light drugs should be legalized and put under the control of the state which should take this trade from the drug traffickers, get it out from the black market, that is, take the marijuana traffic from school toilets’, Nikolay Khramov, secretary of the movement, said in a talk with an Interfax reporter during the rally.

In his opinion, the so-called light drugs should be made subject to the same regulating norms as those existing today ‘for much more dangerous substances as compared to cannabis, such as vodka and tobacco’.

The lesser danger coming from cannabis, Khamov noted, ‘is confirmed anyway by a number of researches’, and the Russian Radicals movement ‘tries to spread information about it’ through several websites.

‘Struggle for legalization of light drugs is one of the areas of our work’, the leader of the organization stressed.

Commenting on the teaching of Basic Orthodox Culture in Russian schools, he stated that ‘religion in any of its form cannot be taught in public school or financed from public funds, whether federal or regional. It should be taught in private or church schools where parents are willing to pay for it’.

At the same time, Khramov recognizes the need for teaching ‘a history of world culture, including its religious aspect but not from a religious point of view. It should not reflect the attitude of either the patriarchate or Moslem board or synagogue or anyone. It should be a secular course’.

‘The problem is that Basic Orthodox Culture is not a secular course. Most probably, the ill-fated textbook by Borodina will be used in teaching it and it is already clear’, Khramov is certain ‘that the teaching will be like this: Love and fear the parsons, the authorities and the czar!’